The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1887-11-26
THE OCTOPUS.
Some Wonderful Stories Of It's
Remarkable Strength.
Not q Rare Sight to sailors-They Seldom
Attack Men Unless in Anger-A ship
BeseIged by the Horrible Creatures.

The great noise and excitement kicked
up in America whenever an octopus is cap
tured, seems queer enough to sailor who
has voyaged to tropical countries. From
the Cape Verde Islands clear around the
coast of Africa to the Gulf of Alden, the
devil fish can be found in all the bights and
bays. You can find him in the Indian
Ocean, New Zealand Sea, Coral Sea-among
all the islands lying about New Guinea.
He abounds in the Mediterranean Sea and
Pacific Ocean, and have seen him in all
the waters from Cuba down to Cape Horn,
and up the other side Of Brazil to the
Isthmus OF Panama. He is by no means o
rare sight to sailors, and the fact that he is
not dreaded, like the shark, is because in
stances are rare where he attacks man. I
do not believe the hideous monster ever at
tacks human beings from hunger. The SEQ
IS full Of their sort Of food, and nature
never expected them to prey on the flesh
and bones Of tough old salt. have read
and heard it often asserted that the octopus
sucks the blood and devours the flesh OF the
man unfortunate enough to be entrapped
in those awful arms, but can prove to the
contrary. My experience with the terrible
creatures has also gone to prove that they
seldom or never attack person unless
their anger is excited.
In 1855 l was one Of the crew Of the
American bark Henry Castle, which made
Q voyage to the Java Sea and called at sew
eral of the larger islands. One day, while
the ship was lying in the outer harbor Of
Samaraug, Island Of Java, two of US pulled
the Captain ashore in the gig. We landed
him on rocky point, from whence he took
q short cut across to the town, and were
ordered to wait there until his return. Ny
shipmate, whose name was Thurber,
stretched out for nap as soon as the Capt
ain had gone, while l got out on the point
TO have q look around. The water was
pretty deep alongside the boat, and by and
by, full OF sailors deviltry, picked up q
large rock and heaved it into the water
with great splash. ! calculated on seeing
Thurber start up in alarm, but he only
laughed at my effort. Then set out to wet
him with o splash, and flung five or six
other rocks as large as could handle. !
was hunting for yet another, and had my
back to the boat and the water, when some.
thing brushed past my head. made leap
aside and wheeled around. In the two
seconds thus occupied I decided that Thur
ber had thrown some missile at me, and ]
laughed as turned about.
The laugh, however, died away In shout
OF terror. An octopus with q body as large
as beer keg had risen to the surface and
partly pulled itself on the rocks, and its
half dozen terrible arms were flying about
like so many whip lashes. 1t had flung one
OF them at me and missed its aim. Al
though was now thirty feet away, 1t CON
tinued to fling two or three feelers In my
direction, but none of them could reach
me within fifteen feet. Tho two longes,
arms were from fifteen to eighteen fee,
long, and the shorter ones from eight ts
ten.
Ill could have restrained myself for I
few minutes the monster would no doubI
have sunk beneath the waters again, bu
the awful stare OF its great eyes, the sigh
OF the terrible beak, the sQuirming Of thos,
horrible feelers AZ they tried in vain I,
touch me. made me cry out loudly.
might have known that could mako nj
heNdway against the monster with th'
means " hand, but, acting ON the IL. pulls,
OF the moment, picked up . good-sises
rock and fungit with certain aim at tn,
pulpish body. It was Vt this moment tina
Thurber rose up In the boat to see whs
was going ON. Mo creature didn't SEQ hin
at hrst being entirely oOcupied In tryinl
20 get me into its clutches. Ibelieve Thur
her could have pushed the boat on AM
4oated away In safety, but he also scted O
the arst impulse. Lifting up one Of tn
heavy oars he dealt the octopus heav
blow, NO doubt indicting severe injury. H
wss raising the car ter Q second blow